王思明敏

On July 1， 1867， Canada became an independent1 dominion2 of Great Britain and a federation3 of four provinces4： Nova Scotia， New Brunswick， Ontario， and Quebec. The anniversary5 of this date was called Dominion Day until 1982. Since6 1983， July 1 has been known as Canada Day.

1867年7月1日，加拿大成为英国的一个独立自治领和由四个省组成的联邦：新斯科舍省，新布伦瑞克省，安大略省和魁北克省。在1982年之前，这一天的周年纪念日被称为“加拿大自治日”。自1983年起，7月1日被称为“加拿大国庆节”。

What do people do on this day？

人们在这一天都做些什么呢？

In many towns and cities， local governments7 hold8 a lot of activities9. These include10 cake breakfast， concerts， carnivals11， festivals and so on. The activities are often patriotic12. Canadian flag is showed and a lot of people paint their faces red and white. They are Canadian colors. The activities in capital Ottawa are very busy.

在許多城镇，当地政府会组织一系列的活动。这些活动包括蛋糕早餐、音乐会、狂欢节、节日活动等。庆祝活动通常带有爱国主义色彩。加拿大国旗随处可见，很多人把自己的脸涂成红色和白色，这是加拿大的国色。在加拿大首都渥太华举行的活动非常热闹。

In the province of Quebec， many home leases13 start on July 1 for one year. So， many people in Quebec spend this day moving from one house to another. In this province， Canada Day is also known as Moving Day.

在魁北克省，许多房屋租赁从7月1日开始，为期一年。因此，魁北克的许多人在这一天从一个房子搬到另一个房子。在这个省，加拿大国庆节也被称为“搬家日”。

In the province of Newfoundland and Labrador， July 1 is also Memorial14 Day. In Newfoundland and Labrador， the morning of July 1 is usually unhappy. There are memorial activities in museum.

在纽芬兰和拉布拉多省，7月1日也是阵亡将士纪念日。在纽芬兰和拉布拉多，7月1日的早晨通常令人感到难受，在博物馆有追悼活动。

Canadian flag is seen everywhere on Canada Day. Canadian colors are red and white and they are used in many ways on Canada Day. Some people wear red and white clothing and others paint their faces in these colors.

加拿大的国旗在加拿大国庆节随处可见。加拿大的国色是红色和白色，在加拿大国庆节有多种用途。有些人穿红色和白色的衣服，其他人在脸上涂这些颜色。

From 2006 there were Canada Day activities at London in the United Kingdom. These activities will be held every year. Because of the use of Trafalgar Square， these activities are held just before， on or just after July 1.

自2006年起，加拿大国庆节也在英国伦敦举行。这些庆祝活动每年会举行一次，因为要使用特拉法加广场，会选在7月1日之前、当天或之后举行。

（英语原文选自：timeanddate.com）

【Notes】

1. independent [                 ] adj. 独立的;自主的

2. dominion [            ] n. 领土;统治

3. federation [             ] n. 联邦

4. province [] n. 省;外省

5. anniversary [              ] n. 周年纪念日

6. since [     ] prep. 自从;何曾 conj. 自从;因为

7. local government [                      ] n. 地方政府

8. hold [       ] v. 持有;举行

9. activity [           ] n. 活动

10. include [          ] v. 包括

11. carnival [         ] n. 狂欢节

12. patriotic [             ] adj. 爱国的

13. lease [    ] n. 租约

14. memorial [             ] n. 纪念碑;纪念物 adj. 纪念的，悼念的